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- The poor people versus the PoLice - Poor Peoples Army at the demiCONvention 2024
“I’m really scared, they are doing the final Wood Street sweeps tomorrow, i have nowhere to go..” Rocky, a disabled houseless elder RoofLessRadio reporter, spoke quietly on the phone to me from the last block on Wood Street where houseless peoples have been pushed to after the violent evictions by the City of Oakland last year of their beautiful comeUnity known as Wood Street Commons. She called me on Monday, as I stood in front of a line of hundreds of 20 foot tall steel barricades, placed on public streets and sidewalks all over the stolen Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi lands known as Chicago. Just beyond those barricades were hundreds more barricades of the same height and size essentially incarcerating public sidewalks, streets and blocks for the billionaire poltrickster party known as the Democratic National CONvention24 (DNC) “You need to move back Ma’am,” the order was mechanically barked to Cheri Honkala, formerly houseless mama, grandmama, organizer and founder of the Poor Peoples Army/Poor Peoples Economic Human Rights Campaign as she peacefully, humbly tried to deliver a citizens’ arrest warrant to the Poltricksters in the DNC when heavily armed, robo-cop appearing Chicago poLice officers blocked her ability to walk down a public street. Not ironically, the same 20 foot steel barricades which were placed all over Chicago, were the exact same barriers used to block and destroy Aetna Street, a houseless peoples community in occupied Tovaangar territory, so-called LA, they are as high and as prevalent as the barbed wire fencing being placed all over public streets to destroy and CONtain houseless communities on Wood Street Commons in West Oakland, in Sacramento at Camp Resolution, in Fresno, in San Francisco and on almost every corner that houseless people try to humbly survive and in almost every settler town from Turtle Island to Palestine. These terrifying connections of removal, erasure, arrest, and destruction were frighteningly evident. These are being documented by our houseless RoofLessRadio reporters across the Bay Area in our recent WeSearch release report: Sweeping us to Nowhere - While Silencing our Solutions The violence being perpetrated against Rocky and all of our houseless bodies across occupied Turtle Island (US) was why sister warrior Cheri and me and all of the Poor Peoples Army were peacefully attempting to bring a citizens’ arrest warrant to the billionaire Poltricksters in the DNC “If you aren’t going to arrest me then let me pass” Cheri repeated quietly to the military agents of the state increasing with every second around us. “Why are you trying to arrest one peaceful mama, a grandmother, a woman alone walking on a public street and why are you even here threatening us poor people when the real criminals, the perpetrators and the wealth hoarders are in there?” I shouted at them pointing to the looming red , white and blue letters spelling out DNC logo flashing in the background. The first five officers who blocked Cheri increased to over 300 officers lined up in military formation to surround Cheri,who refused to stand down. The frightening military-like poLice descended on Cheri and handcuffed her as she continued to walk toward the so-called security perimeter near Damen Avenue and Washington Boulevard. Honkala was charged with disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor, then released and picked up early Tuesday morning by members of the Poor People’s Army. “Think of the amount of homes they could build from all the public money paid to police to arrest a peaceful woman standing up for humanity.” I continued to shout above the din of more and more poLice marching up to surround us. Now I was shouting to the now over 300 riot gear wearing poLice lined up 10 deep on both sides of me and Cheri, Pastor Caliph Muab-El, with All of us Or None Chicago. This small part of public land which was part of the Chicago Housing Authority and the site of another RAD’ destroyed housing project was a security checkpoint through which Harris and Biden motorcades had reportedly just passed through. After Cheri was put in a police wagon, she was held handcuffed for hours, before being taken to a police station for processing. We Had a “Permit” - the Settler Lie of Permission. The Poor People’s Army won a permit, ordered by an administrative judge in February, due to a mistake by the city of Chicago for a missed deadline in response to the permit application. The original application, deemed granted by law, allowed them to march from Humboldt Park to the front steps of the United Center. But in the days and weeks leading up to the March, the city tried to get the group to change their route. As the group held their peaceful 48-hour vigil in Humboldt Park, they were harassed and threatened repeatedly by Chicago Police, including threats to report families there to child protective services. On the day of the March, police blocked some streets listed on the original permit application. The Poor Peoples Army struggle with the “permit” to march reminded me of our struggle at Homefulness to get permits to build and open a homeless peoples solution to homelessness we call Homefulness- back and forth with lies and new requirements and in the end arbitrarily rescinding it like it was never there. The Chicago Police Department received $75 million in funds to police the DNC. The Poor Peoples Army, of which i and all of POOR Magazine/Homefulness houseless, no-income folks are proud members of, is a national group, led by poor and homeless people, arrived in Chicago after marching 91 miles from Milwaukee’s Republican National Convention in July, where they attempted to deliver a citizen’s arrest to the RNC “Poor men, women, and children are having their lives and limbs lost from expensive bombs provided by the Democratic Party while poor people’s lives are being lost to the preventable human rights violations here at home.”. Said Cheri at the press conference that proceeded the permitted march by Poor Peoples Army “Neither of these parties are parties of the people,” Revolutionary Pastor Keith Collins who also spoke on the mic at the press conference “Jesus would not be down with the gentrification and removal of our people, he was not part of the Prosperity Gospel and taught and spoke on the necessity for the massive redistribution of wealth,” In addition to Revolutionary Pastors like Pastor Collins and Caliph, Poor and Houseless youth and elders explained the impossibility of trying to survive, much less ever thrive, as working poor mamas or houseless resident of any of these settler colonial towns, the connection of the genocide here to houseless peoples bodies and the genocide happening to our relatives in Gaza, Sudan, Haiti and the Congo, to name a few. “My baby was born in a tent, i have three generations of family in the Poor Peoples Army and we are not giving up until there is justice for us poor, said Tara Colon, organizer, mama and grandmother with the Poor Peoples Army. “I am a formerly houseless mom and managed to get a small home and now can barely pay my mortgage, I have three jobs and struggle to make ends meet,” Anne Honkala, a single mama in struggle with Poor Peoples Army said the conference. Our march with all of these warriors was peaceful, prayerful and beautiful, until we realized the poLice and City politrickters were kettling us into a giant square, with no intention of letting us anywhere even remotely near to the CONvention center. So disrespectful. Every street had over 50 kkkops lined up to block our entrance and keep us going around in a useless circle. Thats when we realized we needed to try another route. Thanks to some revolutionary legal work by Andrea Henson, lawyer and organizer with Where Do We Go, and the ongoing resistance by hundreds of housed and houseless ComeUnity warriors and advocates at Love and Justice in the Streets, Anti-PoLice Terror Project, POOR Magazine and many more there was a temporary restraining order issued to stave off the last violent Wood Street Commons Sweep. “I heard they not coming today, tiny, at least maybe i have a little time to rest, but i still have Nowhere to Go..”
- Where will we go after the removal of the so-called “ dangerous encampments”?
By Alexander De Leon Governor Gavin Newsom, a man in charge of millions of lives, using evil words that minimize the lives of those who suffer daily in the streets. “Dangerous encampments” words said by Newsom, words that hurt my mind and soul. As a formerly homeless person I was taken aback by the new state order given by Newsom. On Thursday July 25th, 2024, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a brutal and horrifying order to California state officials. He ordered state officials to begin an urgent removal of homeless encampments, stating “There are simply no more excuses. It’s time for everyone to do their part,” telling state agencies to “adopt humane and dignified policies” and “move urgently to address dangerous encampments while supporting and assisting the individuals living in them.” After hearing these statements made by the man in charge of my state I relived the fear I felt as a child when being in the streets. Remembering how alone with my mother, we slept in staircases, benches, we were cold and hungry. I remember seeing my mother crying alone with me in her arms acting strong like everything was ok everytime I asked her what was wrong. The fear of being outside and that there isn't a place you can call home, all of this brought back by the evil words of this man. The questions of where am I going to go? Where am I going to sleep? When am I going to be under a roof?, came flooding back, filling my mind with new questions. I asked myself, where exactly does Newsom plan on “clearing” all of these people he's planning on sweeping away? Stating that the homeless encampments are dangerous increase hatred and fear towards those who live in the streets. This new order leaves many questioning where exactly Newsom plans on taking the people of these homeless encampments to. He had already withheld money last year from state homelessness funding, because of local governments’ “unacceptable” plans to reduce homelessness by 2% by 2024. Local governments stated that it was unfair for Newsom to take away this funding since it was because of a lack of overarching vision or structure for combatting homelessness from the state that led to a small decrease in homelessness that year. “... I just wanted to say that the problem isn't the homeless, it's not even the lack of resources that we have outhere, the problem is the capitalist society and that money equals the value of a person,...” said LeaJay Harper formerly unhoused on Wood Street Oakland, now housed at Homefulness in East Oakland. Here LeaJay expresses the reality of a capitalist society and how the amount of money in someone's possession sadly represents how that person is valued in society. She said that there isn't really a lack of resources, which is true, in San Francisco alone there are thousands of empty units that could be used to shelter and provide a home for those out in the streets, just as district 5 supervisor Deann Preston said “tens of thousands of units tonight in San Francisco will sit empty while people sleep in the street.” Once again, homelessness is not a choice, it is a result of greed and desire for more and more money. It is the product of high rent prices that make it very difficult for many to afford. It is inhumane to have people in the streets to begin with but it’s more inhumane and cruel to sweep them off the streets, to arrest them simply because they cant afford a place to sleep, to treat them like trash. As a person who once lived in the streets I understand the fear and struggle of being homeless, and because of the help of my aunt Tiny, Poor Magazine and everyone else who helped my mother I to get back on our feet, I can now stand and help my fellow brothers and sisters fight back the evil of capitalism.
- THE BIGGER PICTURE (The Police Brutality Struggles)
By Jay Paulino I Realized as I was listening to the ceremony of a sister that died from Police terror, that you better cherish the good memories you have with your family or friends. Life goes on no matter what happens, that's why you shouldn’t take life for granted. Enjoy what you have in the future and for what you have lost, make it a strength for you to change in any positive way. I've learned from my experiences and challenges.Things could get really deep and serious when our brothers, sisters and ancestors can relate in a direct way. The day I realized I should’ve opened up a little bit more is when I showed up to an action on Sonya Massey. The grief was in the air and all around, I knew I wasn't the only one hurting because I literally felt the energy there. Sonya Massey was a Black African young thirty-six year old female who was also a Mother,sister,niece, cousin and Aunt. She was very loved by her family and friends. This Tragic incident happened on July 6th 2024. Massey called the police because there was a prowler at her house so, she called the police because that's what they there for apparently to “Serve and protect.” I don’t think that’s what happened with this devastating killing. To also mention Massey had an illness of schizophrenia. As the call goes through, Two officers respond to the call and at least a minute later things escalate quickly. Officer Sean Grayson was one of the officers that responded to the call and made a huge impact on the world. This is where he used foul language to Sonya and threatened her life and took her life away from her and her beautiful family. Massey was talking to the officers and had a pot of water in her hand, boiling water . Than Massey said “ I will rebuke you in the name of Jesus Officer Sean Grayson replying with a yell “ You better fucking not or I will shoot you in the fucking face.!” Yelled Officer Grayson. The second police officer draws his weapon also why is he not fired as well? This is why Police Brutality should be more of a topic because the Police System just doesn’t stop with the violence on innocent families. These Police Struggles should have a brighter Voice in general, because me being a bystander of these situations happening right in front of me is beyond me.I lost my Pops to Police Brutality I can relate as much as others do. My pops name was Jose Enrique Paulino Jr and trust me “He was somebody.” An unarmed Black African-American dominican Man tazed to death in front of a gas station because he was arguing with a female on the phone and had a big argument. My dad pretty much knew Spanish more than English and had a serious heart condition. Somebody called the Police on him because he was yelling and was really angry so what normal people do is show emotion and the police just took it a whole different way. They made my dad look like a criminal the way they made the story sound and mind you I would say at least eight officers showed up for a little noise complaint. So just wrapping this all up, I could tell you that I feel for my relatives. Bringing it back to the ceremony this shows and tells you that this Police Act on Violence is not the answer and it happens all around the world, where there should be a tremendous amount of Difference in this Violent Act. I cried because when I spoke at that ceremony , I felt the grief connected with my own personal life and I couldn’t hold it in either way, because I was thinking of my mom also. I wouldn’t know what to do if I also lost both of my parents .So be happy for what you have now.
- Internationally Recognized Human Rights Group Reaches Illinois On 90-Mile March
LAKE COUNTY, Ill. - Poor People’s Army, a group of self-organized poor and homeless people with a 30-year history, is marching from Milwaukee to Chicago to protest at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) on August 19. After a week of marching, the group reached the state border of Illinois; 47 miles from the starting point. The two-week march is meant to highlight people in the U.S. experiencing poverty and basic human rights violations such as lack of housing, health care and access to food, connecting these issues with the struggles that poor people face internationally. Central to the group’s focus is the Supreme Court decision, City of Grants Pass vs. Johnson , stating people experiencing homelessness can be arrested and fined for sleeping outside when there are no safe alternatives. Poor People’s Army, led by people who are homeless or formerly homeless themselves, is setting up encampments in different towns en route to Chicago. On the first night of the march, their encampment at Morgan Park in southern Milwaukee was swept by the police in the middle of the night. “Poor and homeless people are being brutalized, with tents and encampments destroyed and bulldozed away from San Francisco to Philadelphia to Gaza and the West Bank,” said Poor People’s Army spokesperson, Cheri Honkala. “These preventable human rights violations are being committed by Democratic and Republican leaders alike.” Honkala, leading the march with her young children, is an internationally recognized human rights advocate who has been the guest of governments and organizations across the world, including India, Mexico, Venezuela, Cuba, Israel and Palestine. Honkala was recognized by Front Line USA as a “human rights defender.” She was granted asylum status by Ireland, recognizing the political persecution she faces as a human rights organizer in the U.S. The Poor People’s Army has marched on Democratic and Republican National Conventions for decades. They were the only organization granted a permit to march on the DNCin Chicago, due to a city mistake. The City has been asking the group to change their plans, but confirms they will be marching from Humboldt Park to the gates of the United Center at 4 p.m. Aug. 19. About Poor People’s Army: For three decades, The Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign (PPEHRC)/Poor People’s Army has been organizing poor and homeless people by “reclaiming the basic necessities of life” with free food distribution and housing takeovers of abandoned government-owned properties. They have released the book, Takeover! A Human Rights Approach to Housing . Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign (PPEHRC) / POOR PEOPLE’S ARMY Press Release, For immediate release August 11, 2024. Press Contacts: Leela de Paula, 413-270-2087 Cheri Honkala, 215-869-4753 PPEHRCorg@gmail.com
- Sweeping Houseless ComeUnities to NoWhere.. While silencing our solutions..
Houseless people create our own research investigation to "prove" that these violent Sweeps orders are killing us while we celebrate the 2nd Homefulness- rent-free forever housing site in Oakland. For Immediate Release: Contact: Muteado or Tiny/poormagazine (510)-435-7500 What : Sweeps WeSearch findings Release and Welcoming in ceremony and community party for Homefulness#2 When: 1pm Saturday, BlackAugust 17th Where: Homefulness#2 7600 MacArthur Bl , East Oakland, Ca “Do you know where the bus station is,” RoofLessRadioSOMA reporter Sr. Asuncion, who had just been swept from a little corner he was standing on by California Highway Patrol officers, had a bus ticket he had received in his hand but had no idea where he was going, no money or resources or family in the town he was going to and not sure exactly why he even had a bus ticket. (excerpt from the 1st WeSearch report Sweeping us to Nowhere ) Sr Asuncion is just one of the houseless povertyskolaz who contributed his story and struggles to the 2024 RoofLessRadio WeSearch report on these violent moves being made by Governor Newsom and Mayors from San Francisco to Los Angeles to disappear our houseless bodies and lives from the public streets of so-called California. From Grants Pass Vs Johnson to Governor Newsom and London Breed, Karen Bass, Sheng Tao and Eric Adams, all of these towns across occupied Turtle Island are waging a war against our houseless bodies. Sweeping, disappearing and arresting us to nowhere. RoofLess Radio WeSearch is poor and houseless people-led research project which will reveal the impact of the deadly violence of sweeps, bus tickets, jail-like motel rooms, navigation centers, temporary shelters, cabins, and arrests, that are killing us. We are also highlighting that we do have actual solutions created by us for us - solutions like Camp Resolution, Wood Street Commons, Aetna Street solidarity, Reclaiming Our Homes and Homefulness to name a few. We Are Building Solutions in the middle of this war ON the poor - why can't we get any media attention? On BlackAugust 17th, POOR Magazine WeSearchers, Homefulness residents and resident leaders of Wood Street Commons will release Part 1 of the RoofLess Radio Findings on these violent sweeps and policies of removal, as well as welcome in the first two homes at Homefulness#2 iat 7600 MacAthur Bl in Deep East (Huchiun) Oakland with all nations prayer, education, a free bbq, poetry, art and love for ComeUnity. Homefulness #1 was an 11 year long journey In 2022, after being blocked for over 11 years by the City of Oakland, the 1st Homefulness project located at 8032 MacArthur bl was finally allowed to open its doors to houseless families, elders and youth. As of July 2024 we have 21 formerly houseless, now homeful, residents living in rent-free forever healing housing. Homefulness#2 is the second example of this practicable dream of rent-free forever housing we poor and houseless people are working on to house over 35 houseless families and disabled elders. “Where would I go?” RoofLessRadioSOMA reporter Demetrius K explained why he rejected the bus ticket offerred to him by London Breed to erase Houseless peoples from the streets of San Francisco, “I’m from San Francisco, I’m not going anywhere” Demetrius went on to explain that he has been asked to move multiple times but never was offered housing and how the money and resources of San Francisco continue to go for the rich. “They keep building all this housing for rich people, but hardly any for the poor, look at all these empty buildings,” he said pointing his hands to all the nearby towering empty office buildings, “ why can’t we build a Homefulness here?” he concluded.(excerpt from Sweeping us to Nowhere RoofLessRadio Sweeps WeSearch POOR Magazine is currently working with houseless communities in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle and West Oakland at Wood Street to open their own versions of this powerful and doable dream we call Homefulness. "Saturday's event is celebrating a Herstoric Day- 530 years after the violence of colonization we poor and indigenous peoples are building our own solutions..". Muteado Silencio- formerly houseless co-founder,povertyskola and lead builder Homefulness "With permission, prayer and guidance from 1st Nations Ohlone, Lisjan leaders we are opening a 2nd site for our own self-determined solutions of Healing Housing without the Lie of Rent... only possible because of the radical redistribution of conscious housed residents with resources radically redistributing to us poor peoples so we can mamafest this dream," tiny aka povertyskola, formerly houseless co-founder, povertyskola and visionary of Homefulness Event which will include teachings on off-grid energy sources, housing and waste reduction in low/no-income communities, as well as poetry, music, children's activities, art, free barbecue for the neighborhood and so much more is co-sponsored by POOR Magazine a poor/indigenous, homeless people-led movement dedicated to providing media access, art, education, advocacy and solutions to youth , adults and elders in poverty locally and globally and Self-Help Hunger Program- a poor/Black elder led movement towards self-determination and Wood Street Commons movement- a homeless peoples movement of healing and activation 1st RoofLessRadio WeSearch Release
- Sweeping Us to Nowhere
Sweeping us to Nowhere a RoofLessRadio WeSearch Project By Tiny with Leajay Harper, Momii Palapaz, Frankie Carter, Alex DeLeon, Jay Paulino RoofLessRadioSOMA reporter Sr Asuncion with his bus ticket to Nowhere “Do you know where the bus station is,” RoofLessRadioSOMA reporter Sr. Ascunsion, laughed nervously, throwing back his wavy black /silver hair as he uncrumpled a small piece of paper he held in his hand ”And do you know where this town is?” Sr Asuncion, a houseless elder pushing a small granny cart filled with a few carefully folded clothes and one sleeping bag standing at the base of the on-ramp to the I-580 freeway, was one of the recipients of London Breed’s bizarre, elder abusive “Bus ticket anywhere” program instituted after Gov. Newsom called all houseless people dangerous and demanded we all be “cleared” off the sidewalks like a used paper cup . Sr Asuncion, who had just been swept from a little corner he was standing at by California Highway Patrol officers, had no idea where he was going, no money or resources or family in the town he was going to and not sure exactly why he even had a bus ticket Sweeping, Clearing, Cleaning, Disappearing our bodies like we are trash Since the Grants Pass versus Johnson Ruling which was actively supported and promoted by London Breed and Newsom, all gloves are off for both of these desperate for votes politricksters, who have been waging an active war on our houseless bodies since they came into office. “As your mayor I promise to clean up the homeless problem,” stated Gavin Newsom to potential San Francisco voters in the 90’s when he swooped into the mayoral office literally on the backs of houseless peoples, claiming to San Francisco voters he was their best hope to “clean us up”. Me and most of us houseless/poor people at POOR Magazine at the time were knowing that an even more violent war than the one we were already struggling with, was on the horizon. London Breed on the other hand ( or the same hand) has promised from her Day 1 in the Mayors office more than a decade later to “get tough” with houseless people, spending thousands of dollars on kops and DPW to move us from one side of the streets to the other, from under bridges to in doorways. As well, she has encouraged, contracted, enabled and paid for the private police force of Urban Alchemy whose sole job seems to be poLicing houseless bodies all across San Francisco and many other cities in California. Both of these demiCON politricksters, spewing violent Krapitalism with every step they take, have pandered to all the worst elements in San Francisco, welcoming in tech with endless payouts and right offs, encouraging luxury CONdo devil-opers and great and consistent love for the poLice, meanwhile crushing, clearing, cleaning, and disappearing so many poor people from San Francisco, it’s almost painful to mention, while re-alocating, repurposing and discouraging endless sources of money that was supposed to go to support poor peoples housing, and refusing to meet with Homefulness leaders about a Homefulness Healing Housing project in San Francisco . . Thousands of Dollars wasted on PoLicing our Homelessness, but never housing us. RoofLessRadioTL reporters, tiny and Eugene “There is no crime happening right here, no crime at all except having no place to sleep, all this mayor is doing is causing a problem for a vote,” RoofLessRadioTL reporter Eugene shouted out to all the 55 armed agents of the state who were lined up behind the DPW workers on Leavenworth in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco to oversee and poLice the “clearing” and cleaning ordered by Newsom and promoted by Breed. “The money spent on all these armed poLice agencies could have gone to solutions like Homefulness, but rather these poltricksters would rather arrest, harass and kill us than ever listen to us about our own solutions,” I screamed to the endless line of squad cars on Leavenworth Every day since Newsoms slanderous order of abuse across so-called California,, SF Mayor Breed has added her own venom by trolling the streets of San Francisco with multiple poLice agencies. Most of the viscous sweeps include at least one (if not 15) CHP officers, SF PoLice and DPW workers. Sweeps and NEVER solutions From LA to Sacramento RoofLessRadioTL reporter with Sweeps Report “Homelessness is NOT comfortable,” another warrior elder RoofLessRadioTL reporter was responding to London Breed’s comment that the City is going to make it as uncomfortable as possible for homeless people in San Francisco. She was huddled up against the wall at Ellis street with a recycling can and a few belongings her and other sweeps victims were able to hold onto before they were violently removed from the tenderloin streets and sidewalks they were sleeping on. This fierce sister went on to explain that the shelter system was oftentimes more uncomfortable than living on the street, explaining the disrespect and abuse she felt at the hands of 20 something anti-social workers telling her where to go, how to be. “They have stolen everything from me, yesterday they stole my purse” she added “In LA from the first day of Newsom’s order, the cops took our communities tents and belongings and began to arrest people,” RoofLESSradioLA reporter Carla and member of Aetna Street Solidarity reported to Poor Peoples Radio. “We have lost so many of our folks from the lies of Mayor Karen Bass’ InsideSafe Program, she is no better than any of these mayors and is causing our folks to die. They are up here in the 110 degree heat, doing sweeps and arresting people, said Crystal Rose Sanchez from Sacramento Homeless Union and Camp Resolution. RoofLessRadioSOMA reporter Demetrius “Where would I go?” RoofLessRadioSOMA reporter Demetrius K responded to the bus ticket to anywhere program, “I’m from San Francisco, I’m not going anywhere” Demetrus went on to explain that he has been asked to move multiple times but never was offered housing and how the money and resources of San Francisco continue to go for the rich. “They keep building all this housing for rich people, but hardly any for the poor, look at all these empty buildings,” he said pointing his hands to all the nearby towering empty office buildings, “ why can’t we build a Homefulness here?” he concluded. RoofLessRadio reporters LeaJay and JohnX (Not his real name) “I’m out here trying to make an honest living, but they fuking Black people over in this town, I had my humble little food giveaway going on, we werent bothering anyone, we were helping fellow houseless folks, i have an LLC and a sellers permit, all my paperwork in order, and these people from the City swooped down on us along with all the other folks they were messing with and seized all my tools, and haven’t even given me a way to get it back,” RoofLessRadioTL reporter John X concluded shaking his head walking. “They said you can only take what you can carry with two hands, I asked them well can you hold it until I get some housing and they said no we can’t keep anything, “ RoofLessRadioTL reporter Mark reported. “I don’t know who they are giving this housing to, but I’m disabled and houseless and its not us, all they give us is these useless Navigation centers which don’t help anyone.” “I lost my walker in this sweep, and they told me I couldn’t stay where i was, the problem is I have nowhere else to go and without people i trust around me, i have been raped and attacked,” RoofLessRadio reporter Alison whispered to me as she huddled in her wheelchair near the curb on Ellis street after being swept. Homelessness Kills and We have Solutions Mouse, houseless resident leader from Wood Street Commons speaking on the Mic at the Press conference on Wood Street Commons From Left Rear, Freeway Leajay, John Janasko and Monique with Wood Street Commons and Homefulness “Caltrans, the biggest landlord in California has so much vacant land, There is vacant land right here, owned by Caltrans that we could be living on but instead they just keep moving us onto the streets, putting us in danger,”, said John Janosko, resident leader of Wood Street Commons, a solution of healing and support and housing for houseless Oakland residents before the City and the State violently “swept” it and pushed everyone onto the streets. “Camp Resolution is one of the cleanest, most organized spaces for homeless Sacramento residents, but the City of Sacramanto just keeps trying to shut us down,” said Crystal Rose Sanchez, leader and povertyskola from the Sacramento Homeless Union who fought with the City of Sacramento to create a space for houseless residents of Sacramento. Homelessness Kills, Homefulness Heals Formerly Houseless, Now Homeful residents of Homefulness with revolutionary lawyers from Sustainable Economies Law Center who are helping them with their UnSelling process in this stolen land. “Homefulness is a real time example of #4 of the 10 point plan of the Black Panther Party, that demanded safe, clean,habitable housing. Homefulness is our solution to our problems, said Aunti Frances Moore, Black Panther and Poverty skola is a co-founder of Homefulness and founder of the Self-Help Hunger Program in North Oakland Homefulness currently has 21 houseless, homeful residents of a beautiful model of poor and houseless peoples self-determination, which was built with permission, spiritual and elder guidance from the Ohlone/Lisjan Nation, who are first peoples of this land and is dedicated to provigin rent-free, forever housing for poor, disabled, houseless elders, youth and families currently struggling with homelessness and its related trauma. This innovative project which works to spiritually and legally unsell Mama Earth as tiny says is financially made possible by conscious folks with different forms of race and class privilege who radically redistribute to poor peoples self-determination, learning and unlearning in a liberation education seminar we at POOR Magazine call PeopleSkool “I’m going to go to this town, even though I’m afraid and don’t know it, because I don’t know where else to go and San Francisco is kicking me out,” Sr Asuncion laughed nervously again and added, “Do you know where the bus station is,” RoofLessRadioTL Reporters tiny, Momii Palapaz, LeaJay Harper, (Behind) Youth RoofLessRadio Reporters Alex DeLeon and Jay Paulino (out of pic but in the Cru- Frankie Carter) Sweeps Don’t House Us, Homelessness Kills us is a RoofLessRadio WeSearch Project RoofLessRadio and WeSearch is a poor people-led research project of POOR Magazine dedicated to listening, learning, hearing, and reclaiming the endless counting and shuffling of data, counts, surveys, reports created about us poor and houseless peoples without us poor and houseless peoples. WeSearch findings and results also integrates our own Poor Peoples Solutions RoofLessRadio WeSearchers and poverty skolaz from POOR Magazine and Wood Street Commons and other organizations will be releasing our WeSearch findings and our solutions at a press conference on Saturday, BlackAugust 17th at 1pm which will also be a welcoming in ceremony and community celebration for the first two homes at Homefulness#2 at 7600 BlackArthur (MacArthur) in Deep East Huchiun (Oakland)
- JŪGUN IANFU
A teen-age girl on an errand for family. A strange car. Full of uniformed men. Pulled her inside. Door closed. Car drove on. Abduction. Promises of work far away in cooking, nursing, laundry, textiles were golden tickets out of a life of poverty the way a stranger told another girl. Deception. Able young women Disappeared from hometown streets. Reappeared at army stations. From Korea, from China, they were taken. From the Philippines, from Taiwan, they were taken. From Thailand, from Japan, they were taken. From Indonesia, from Malaysia, they were taken to serve strapping young soldiers from their beds, on their backs, took far too many shafts. Daily, they endured slavery. War within a war. Their own bodies, theatres of attack. Their own wills versus the Imperial Japanese male will. Enlisted men clutched onto charms, numbers on scrap paper, formed a queue that stretched through the door. Soon after, high-ranking officers took their sordid pleasures at night. At such stations, comfort was missing in action. Army commanders claimed they were started for the reduction of social diseases and rape. Both escalated behind their walls, along with beatings and limits on movement. Tides of war had shifted—Surrender of Japan, closer at hand— Printed records on military comfort stations and their captive females were set to flame when the Americans came. World War 2 came to an end, but for former military captive females, there was no home to return to— Years in isolation, decades in silence. Wartime trauma bottled up, memories of drunken/wilful torture, tethered to one building, one land, one area Like butterflies with soft wings pinned— Shame remained a constant worrisome companion. Until a brave Korean lady elder unloaded long-time hurt into a mic. One voice then became a resounding chorus of voices, liberating themselves from shame. Same hurt shared—army captivity, sexual savagery, escape impossible— Hands appeared from nowhere, pulling out pins from butterfly wings— Legions of the concerned—family members, community members—valiantly stand behind these former military captive women—now great-grandmothers, grandmothers, mothers and wives—outside of embassies demanding justice past due. And the Japanese government owe them tremendously. Statesmen offer the stone wall—not apologies—to a questioning public. Right-wingers say Japan has nothing to apologise for. Grade school history books contain nothing about comfort stations or their female captives. Bronze statues honouring comfort station survivors are ordered to be torn down, wherever they stand. So the war continues within old women's nightmares. So the battles continue over memory, hearkening to times they were seen as things. Until real resolution with the state is achieved, the fight must continue. It's not about repairing the damage with millions in yen. It's about calling out the guilty party to take accountability for past crimes Against the females of the Pacific & Asia. Horde of butterflies crowd the sky, flying for their liberty— ______________________ W: 3.24 to 4.24 Jūgun Ianfu > Japanese: “Military 'comfort women'.” Comfort stations: Military houses of prostitution. [ Originally published in The Literary Times #2, Summer 2024.]
- People Skool in BlackAugust
August 24th & 25th / 24 y 25 de agosto A DegentriFUKation/Decolonization seminar / Seminario de destrificación/descolonización Free for Poverty Skolaz, sliding scale for folks with privilege Join us on Zoom *In person option for Poverty Skolaz Apply Online: https://www.poormagazine.org/education Day 1 is for poverty skolaz AND people with race, class and/or formal education privilege. It will center Poverty Scholarship & the medicine of poor, houseless and indigenous people-led movements & media. Day 2 is for people with race, class and/or formal education privilege (optional for poverty skolaz), aimed at service providers, media creators, educators, organizers, researchers, artists, legislators, policy-makers, donors & philanthropists, students, community members, and anyone who wants to learn about following Black, Indigenous, POC, and poor leadership and aligning your work with poor people-led self determination movements. Follow-Up Sessions We continue learning about poverty scholarship. All sessions occur 2–6 weeks after the PeopleSkool weekend seminar. Sept 10, Sept 17, Oct 1. 6:30 pm PST GRATIS para los acad é micos de la pobreza, escala m óvil para personas con privilegios únete a nosotros en zoom Aplicar en línea: poormagazine.org/education *Opción en persona para Académicos de Pobreza Día 1 es para académicos de la pobreza Y personas con privilegios de raza, clase, y / o educación formal. Se centrará en la erudición de Pobreza y la medicina de los movimientos y medios de comunicación pobres, sin hogar e indígenas liderados por pueblos indígenas. Día 2 es para personas con privilegios de raza, clase, y / o educación formal, dirigido a proveedores de servicios, creadores de medios, educadores, organizadores, investigadores, artistas, legisladores, responsables políticos, donantes y filántropos, estudiantes, miembros de la comunidad, y cualquiera que quiera aprender más sobre cómo seguir el liderazgo negro, indígena, de color y pobre e alineando su trabajo con los movimientos de autodeterminación liderados por personas pobres. Sesiones de seguimiento Seguimos aprendiendo sobre la erudición de pobreza. Todas las sesiones ocurren de 2-6 semanas después del seminario de fin de semana de People Skool. 10 de septiembre, 17 de septiembre, 1 de octubre. 6:30 pm PST
- We charge Gavin Newsom with War (ON the Poor) Crimes
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Muteado SIlencio or Tiny Garcia (510) 435-7500 We charge Gavin Newsom with War (On the Poor) Crimes Newsom demands statewide "clearing" of ALL our houseless bodies to nowhere - Houseless Californians and advocates respond with a criminal charge Today California Gov. Gavin Newsom enhanced his already violent policy of removal and harassment of houseless people just trying to rest by directing state agencies to dismantle homeless encampments on state land. He is making this move after the US supreme court ruled on Grants Pass versus Johnson which cleared the way for states and cities to move even more violently against houseless communities by saying we as houseless residents of the US have no rights to protection under the CONstitution. A coalition of Houseless peoples from Los Angeles to Sacramento who have already been rendered criminal just because we live outside without access to a roof hereby respond to Newsoms violent threats. "I would ask the question were are all those unhoused people going to go? Why are you criminalizing people for not making enough money to pay their rent? How is this going to make anything better? And you know there are not enough shelter beds in California to put everyone in who want to sleep in a shelter/ hell. Who are you looking out for? " John Janasko- Wood Street Commons Resident Leader "This morning, the last remaining community members of Aetna Street ( a houseless community in occupied Tovaangar aka so-called Los Angeles) were given orders for their removal and destruction of their homes and arrest if they refused to comply. This order comes directly from Governor Newsom who issued an Executive Order to California officials to remove homeless encampments from public state-owned land. What happens to our community when they are removed from public? They are forced underground to places where they are no longer visible or detectable. This is a forced removal policy, an order to “disappear” the visible sight of poverty. " Aetna Street Solidarity “We houseless, disabled, swept, terrorized residents of California at POOR Magazine and Homefulness charge Politrickster Newsom with War (ON the poor) Crimes for the deaths that have already resulted from his violent sweeping, removing, evicting and arresting and this order which will only act to enhance that violence against our bodies and result in the drastic increase in our death. .Like all war criminals protected by corrupt governments from occupied Palestine to occupied Turtle Island, we will resist, as we have no choice and nowhere else to go,” Tiny Gray-Garcia, Leajay Harper, Muteado Silencio, Israel Munoz, Brokin Cloud, Aunty Frances Moore, Juju A, Angel Heart, Danielle Smith, Daveion L, Dee A, Teo E, Frankie, Evander and many more houseless relatives and ancestors at POOR Magazine/Homefulness “The Governor’s executive order is punitive and builds in no protections for the unhoused. It builds in no punishment or consequences for resource providers that fail to conduct outreach or who fail to assist these vulnerable communities. The Governor does not build in guidance or direction on how state agencies and local governments can penalize continuum of care providers that fail to do their outreach prior to the sweep yet accept the millions of dollars to provide these services. There is no implementation of any oversight, therefore, leaving the unhoused subject to a new reign of terror and torment by state actors because they are poor and homeless.” - Andrea Henson, Executive Director, Where Do We Go “Newson is making a big mistake bc he has no offer of shelter. A permanent solution, people don't have electricity, the state is over hot. Temperature over 90 an 100s no wather. Hosing hosing justice is a solution . Housing.” Miguel Carrerra, Coalition on Homelessness “The narrative around the country is that California is a bastion of progressive values. There's nothing progressive about the decision to sweep our unhoused relatives from their homes, This is just going to make way more un mitigated violence against our unhoused relatives. Given The political timing. One must wonder if Gavin is cleaning up the White House to clean up the reputation that the right has created about California in order to pave the way for Harris to the White House at the expense of the very people who should be the most protected by those we elect to do so" Cat Brooks cofounder executive Director Anti Police Terror Project “Democrats, Republicans, the Supreme Court and the police, you can oppress the people for so long before they fight back! Yeah we will be at your front door!” Leroy Moore, Co-founder Homefulness and Founder of Krip Hop Nation “This has already been a practice in Sacramento they've been arresting entire encampments” -Crystal rose Sanchez sacramento homeless Union “There is no social justice in criminalizing our unhoused community their is no solution in solving homelessness by incarceration," Junebug Keaoloha, POOR Magazine /San Francisco "Governor Gavin Newsom, if you are enforcing an unjust law lying in public, then you are complicit with killing the most vulnerable people in this country. Most unhoused folk are highly traumatized people, survivors of sexual violence, veterans, and elders unable to pay the high and immoral rents in California. There are not enough shelters for them, and shelters are often carceral and abusive, further traumatizing traumatized people. I am saddened and angered by how we treat people who need and deserve love, care, support, and safe, dignified housing. Instead, you should criminalize landlords and corporations that have shockingly high rents. The solution to homelessness is creating a system that puts people over profit and treats poor people as human beings. We should have supportive permanent housing options created and managed by people with unhoused experience. We have enough resources and money for everyone; we need to use them effectively. Newsom, you should Do Better and Be Better. Do Not Enforce Immoral Inhumane Laws!" Martha Escudero, Reclaiming Our Homes El Sereno, LA This entire violent move by Newsom is only possible because, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Grants Pass v. Johnson , a case that had barred cities from citing and arresting people for the sole act of being homeless in public. The Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision, said fining and arresting homeless people does not violate constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment. “200 years ago, before colonization there wasn’t even a concept of homelessness,” said Talking chief/spokesperson of the confederated villages of Lisjan/Ohlone and co-founder of the Sogorea Te Land Trust and Family Elders Council member of Homefulness. “Who is being subject to the Governors order? Elders, people with disabilities, often both who will now have to move further and further from sources of food and water. California, the 5th largest economy in the world, is leaving people to die of forced starvation and dehydration, in addition to the threat of criminalization that people forced to live outside are faced with every day. As these orders go in to effect, our people will die. There’s no need to house people once they are gone. It’s a final solution for people who are forced to live outside. This is a death march from the 5th largest economy in the world.” Aetna Street Solidarity This is an example of why Homefulness - a homeless peoples solution to homelessness who just welcomed their 21st houseless family into rent-free forever housing is such an emergency need and not possible unless wealth-hoarders radically share so poor and houseless peoples can build our own, self-determined healing solutions to housing that will offer us rent-free forever homes, not subject to the classist , racist hate of the state that protects stolen indigenous land over people, The krapitalOST state will always incarcerate us for being poor., tiny gray-garcia, Homefulness /POOR Magazine
- Healing industrial COMplex
By tiny gray-garcia aka @povertyskola, daughter of Dee, Mama of Tiburcio “There are many opinions, but in my perspective, Non-Indigenous peoples should leave peyote ceremony to Indigenous peoples. That has been shown and highlighted by the Native American Church with a lot of their advocacy and what they have said they want. There are so many different medicines that non-Indigenous peoples can use — they can sit with San Pedro or synthetic mescaline or so many other psychedelics that aren't facing ecological threat” Sutton King, indigenous daughter, co-founder of Urban Indigenous Collective Long hair strands were touseled in the imaginary wind. A vague sparkle emanated from traditional regalia modeled in shining Black rock. Sandaled feet seemed to be in motion. I gazed upon what appeared to be an indigenous man struck in mid-motion in stone aka a “statue” He stood in pseudo mid-air in the center of dozens of shopping malls in the occupied Yavapai, Tonto Apaches, Hopi and Navajo lands aka so-called Sedona, Arizona. Right there, in the center of that settler “town” was a tribute to indigenous medicine spirituality directing the tourists to the endless storefronts peddling different pierces of commodified Mama Earth and stolen plant medicines. Crystals, carved stone, magical earth, mystical dirt, potions and rocks glittered from 1970’s style wood encased plate glass windows along the main road. Each store proclaiming their products had the most potent healing powers. All of these healing qualities were purportedly mined, extracted, stolen, I mean, “found” in the sacred red earth and mountains that surrounded so-called Sedona. I made the journey to this place with an indigenous Mayan elder who was houseless for years and now is disabled and i care for ( one of my under the table survival jobs) She requested to go there because she was sick and lurched away from her own land based indigenous medicine had heard the derivative hippie narrative about this being “magical” land filled with healing medicines. So-called Sedona , Arizona ,is named after one of the original wite settler, land stealers of the genocidal pioneer days named Sedona Schnebly. ,, This part of Mama Earth is draped in the finest of rust-colored Mama Earth regalia. Red mountains and plains as far as the eye can see. So beautiful but so much felt off. This town is the Krapitol of what i affectionately call the Healing Industrial Complex. And to affirm that reality, there are multiple signs everywhere for the next “spiritual tour” or “vortex tour” which is replete with kundalini yoga, a portable ceremony led by a real live Guru and a plethora of magical rocks, potions, tinctures and crystals they can provide you with, at a nominal extra fee, that is. Mystical, Sacred and spiritual. These terms are currency in the Healing Industrial Complex. From Sedona to India, they are thrown around like confetti at a wedding. The thing is that in many highly commodified “healing” locations it’s not only land that gets sold and profited off of, its not only ancient spaces of sacred Mama earth, its culture, tribal and ancient medicine and practices and sacred ceremonies From yoga to sweat lodges, from peyote ceremonies to cactus, these are all products to be traded, bought , sold”taught” and extracted. When me and Dona Sandra got to the supposed “vortex” mountains there are casual references made by swarming Tour” guides to native plant medicine, which in addition to being named is being peddled, sold, hustled, and used without any patent, ethical or legal accountability to the indigenous mama earth care-givers, medicine carriers and tribal nations they were stolen from. This happens all over the world and is one of the reasons I coined the term “wite Science” - with no “h” cuz its a system rooted in white supremacy that includes all practitioners including people of color trained in, working for or profiting off of wite science. It’s rooted in extraction and theft of culture and community and is completely irresponsible to the indigenous lands and ancestors that brought it to humans From mushrooms to peyote, from copal to sage, there are hundreds of plant medicines which have been cared for for time immorial, way before colonial gregorian calendars by indigenous science, which work in tandem with what Mama earth has to give and offer . I’ve been sick for as long as i can remember, not the physical kind, the mental, truamaPTSD, not sure where it comes from kind. Every second of every day, i battle suicidality, depression, severe anxiety and CONfusion. I have also worked since i was four years old, not because i wanted to but because i had to. Mama was disabled and we were in poverty. Our life was a war zone of survival, depression, fear, evictions, abuse and homelessness. I try everyday to get on my bike and race the insanity out of my mind. For the last few years i have had the blessing of having loving self-care-givers, and radical healers in my comeunity and extended community. They are always encouraging me to “heal” the thing is, im not sure if you can ever “heal” from what ails me. Im never been willing to take Big Pharma as a solution and have severe body and trust issues in terms of touch. Matter of fack my kinship proximity is my fellow street warriors walking around screaming to themselves and the world. They are me i am them. I feel like i walk thru life holding my breath, because if i exhale to deeply, i will disintegrate. And yet, maybe thru my ghetto scholarship, i can’t get down with the gray area of commodfication and extraction in terms of medicine. If you are not indigenous to that plant or ceremony or tradition, its gonna feel fake to me. That isnt to say i dont’ believe in spirit. Nor do i fault anyone in any of the medicine, spirit they practice or practice in. I pray and listen to my ancestors and mama earth everyday .But im not ok with the arrogance and rampant industry of appropriation of literally everything . Learn where your medicine comes from and just because it “sounds exciting to be part of something it doesnt mean you should have complete unfettered access to it My proposal for the Healing Industrial Complex and its purveyors who are profiting off of and peddling these earth and plant sacred medicines, you have a responsibility to give back to not only Mama Earth but the peoples, lands and traditions you are extracting from. And to propose that spiritual healing also comes from radical redistribution and LandBack work to the 1st peoples of the lands and tribes the medicine used u “use” was “sourced” from.
- Black, Brown, and Indigenous (Solar) Power in Black August
What : ComeUNITY Festival with DJ/Dance-off, Food, Prayer, Poetry, Solar & Wind Energy Education. Benefit for an off-grid solar system for Homefulness When: BlackAugust 17th (8/17 Saturday 1pm) Where : 7600 Macarthur Blvd (Blackarthur), Occupied East Huchiun (Oakland) Tables available for artists and organizations - email by 8/5 Please redistribute if you can't make it in person: link Qué: Festival ComeUNITY con DJ/concurso de baile, comida, oración, poesía, educación sobre energía solar y eólica. Beneficio de un sistema solar aislado para Homefulness Cuándo: ( 1pm El Sábado 17 de Agosto Negro) Dónde: 8032 Macarthur Blvd (Blackarthur), Ocupado East Huchiun (Oakland) Mesas disponibles para artistas y organizaciones: envíe un correo electrónico antes del 5 de agosto Por favor redistribuya si no puede hacerlo en persona: enlace
- STOP the Sweeps Seattle (Duwamish) visits Homefulness
LeaJay HARPER Who : Stop the Sweeps Seattle WA What : Have increased their sweeps defense for the unhoused. Where : Downtown Seattle Why : Because there was an “accelerated 200% increase from 2022-2023,” says Tai, one of the STS advocates. The average sweeps per day in 2022 was approximately 2.5 per day to now approximately 7.75 per day, sweeps defense advocates credit this because the city of Seattle have showed strong support for rulings like the recent Johnson vs. Grants Pass Oregon (where people can now be ticketed and arrested for camping in “public spaces”). STOP THE SWEEPS Momii palapaz From the stolen lands of Coast Salish territory in the Pacific Northwest, Stop The Sweeps has experienced and witnessed escalating attacks and sweeps of houseless communities. Made up of houseless people, members Kaitlin and Tai have been instituting a variety of ways to meet the ongoing displacement. Also known as Seattle, the extremely conservative powers in local government are encouraging and implementing blockades to stop the erection of tents and structures for shelter. It has been reported that RVs have been set on fire and cars are deliberately driving into tents. A man, white and 25 years old, was recently seen carrying an ax, looking to use it on a houseless person. Stop the Sweeps visits Homefulness by Angel Heart “Ultimately, we’d love to build a Homefulness in the Indigenous Southwest” stated Tai, Co-Founder of Stop the Sweeps located in Duwamish/Coast Salish, aka Seattle. Tai and Kateland of Stop the Sweeps both visited POOR Magazine/Homefulness on July 8, 2024. Tai shared that the percentage of sweeps in Seattle has increased 200% from 2022-2023; which was the equivalent of 2.5 sweeps per day. Stop the Sweeps has also noticed an increase of violence against houseless people; with no real action taking place from the city government. Not only was this information troubling, but it was also painful to hear that their city government has publicly stated support for Grant Pass. The City of Grants Pass v. Johnson, is a United States Supreme Court case in which the court held that local government ordinances with civil and criminal penalties for camping on public land, does not constitute cruel and unusual punishment for homeless people. Stop the Sweeps believes in a world without state-sanctioned violence, and mobilizes to challenge state violence directed at our unhoused neighbors during sweeps; seeking to build a society where everyone works to meet each other’s basic needs through mutual aid, community care and radical solidarity. Both Homefulness, and Stop the Sweeps aim to address and support houseless persons and communities. “ “We are criminalized in our bodies for being poor outside, for living without a roof, sleeping in our car, in doorways, in parks, on streets and in tents. What is never mentioned is we are in these doorways and cars because of a system of krapitalism that commodifies mama earth and profits off of our poverty and the incarceration of our bodies. So-called Grants Pass, Oregon itself is stolen land, and should be returned to the Takelma, Shasta and Athbaskan relatives, who are the first peoples of that territory. And many of whom make up the houseless relatives in so-called Grants Pass. Just like they do in so-called Bellingham, Olympia, Seattle and much of the Pacific Northwest (and all of occupied Turtle Island). Un-reparated, un-supported, original peoples, houseless on their own land. Secondly, I don’t recognize the Stealing Fathers’ and their lying lies aka the CONstitution, which has proven over and over again to be a fluid document that only protects the white, wealth-hoarding, land-stealing class that originally stole Turtle Island,” states Tiny Gray-Garcia aka poverty skola, Co-Founder of POOR Magazine/Homefulness. Stop the Sweeps and Homefulness at POOR Magazine plan on collaborating in the near future; in hopes of building a Seattle Homefulness.





















